How to Catch a Queen
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- $19.99
Publisher Description
An arranged marriage leads to unexpected desire, in the first book of Alyssa Cole’s
Runaway Royals series…
When Shanti Mohapi weds the king of Njaza, her dream of becoming a queen finally comes true. But it’s nothing like she imagined. Shanti and her husband may share an immediate and powerful attraction, but her subjects see her as an outsider, and everything she was taught about being the perfect wife goes disastrously wrong.
A king must rule with an iron fist, and newly crowned King Sanyu was born perfectly fitted for the gauntlet, even if he wishes he weren’t. He agrees to take a wife as is required of him, though he doesn’t expect to actually fall in love. Even more vexing? His beguiling new queen seems to have the answers to his country’s problems—except no one will listen to her.
By day, they lead separate lives. By night, she wears the crown, and he bows to her demands in matters of politics and passion. When turmoil erupts in their kingdom and their marriage, Shanti goes on the run, and Sanyu must learn whether he has what it takes both to lead his people and to catch his queen.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
You won’t find the kingdom of Njaza on any map, but this exciting romance will make you feel like you’ve actually traveled to the fictional African locale. The book’s heroine, Shanti, is Njaza’s newly crowned queen, but things aren’t going as she’d hoped. Shanti’s arranged marriage to the handsome but sexist King Sanyu seems destined to fail, especially when she demonstrates a superior handle on their regal responsibilities and challenges all of his antiquated beliefs. We were totally rooting for Alyssa Cole’s idealistic, strong-willed Black heroine and her fight to do what’s right for her country. At the same time, we couldn’t deny that her chemistry with the bullheaded Sanyu gave us serious butterflies. Karen Chilton narrates the tale with so much elegance and grace that she sounds like a queen herself, making us feel like part of the royal court. And we loved the way Cole even subtly weaves in important themes of postcolonialism to her swoon-worthy romance. Bring on the sequel!